Hi there. I'm John, and I hope you like my reviews.
Hi there. I'm John, and I hope you like my reviews.
Member since:28.05.2009
Reviews:7
Alias
Until a couple of weeks ago, I'd only heard a few things about Alias, mainly that it was created by J.J. Abrams (Lost, Fringe, Star Trek, Cloverfield, Mission Impossible 3), which is what got me to check this out, especially with the success of Star Trek. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by how good this TV Show is.
Basic Plot Synopsis
Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) is a woman who thinks that she's working as a spy for the CIA, and has to keep her social life and her school work in balance whilst traveling all around the world to protect the country. However, once she lets someone she knows in on her secret, she soon discovers that she might not be working for who she thought she was.
And that's just the first episode. I'll admit that I was a bit put off by the whole "Save the world, and then go home to hand in an English Lit essay", but that's just something I
personally don't enjoy, but this element is hardly touched on in the series at all, except for a few episodes. Mainly, outside of the action elements, the show looks into Sydney's relationship with her friends and how she has to keep her secret from them, which is a plotline that really pays off in the finale.
The plot is relatively easy to follow, as long as you try to pay attention in the briefing sessions, but even if you don't, you can pretty much understand the basis of the mission and enjoy the action sequences. J.J. Abrams has proven with MI3 and Star Trek that he can make good action sequences, and he does it again here, although with a smaller budget, so don't expect anything too big.
Cast / Characters
Jennifer Garner is the main character in this, and she plays a good character that I could really get on well with. If you don't like the character, then to be honest, there's not much hope for the rest of the series. Even if you don't like Jennifer Garner, even though I thought she did a great job here, I suppose the men might enjoy looking at all of the different costumes she dresses up in. Actually, this series proves to me that female spies are probably much better than male ones, because they can just seduce all of the gullible terrorists into doing anything they want, which happens quite a few times in this show.
Despite not having too many well known stars as the main characters of the show, Alias includes a lot of famous guest stars in the first season, including Quentin Tarantino, Roger Moore and Tobin Bell. Heroes fans will also be happy to know that Greg Grunberg (Matt Parkman) and David Anders (Kensei) also appear in the show quite a few times.
Music / Soundtrack
The music in Alias was composed by the surprisingly versatile composer Michael Giacchino, who has composed the scored for Lost, Star Trek, Ratatouille and many others. The main theme and the track in the closing credits are both incredibly memorable and the whole soundtrack really adds to the action element of the show.
A lot of the time, the show will have montages with various popular songs as well. While I would have preferred more of Giacchino's music, the songs do work well, but I found some of them too recognisable, which took me out of the moment. They included songs by Sarah Mclachlan and Jeff Buckley, among others.
Overall
Overall, I recommend this show, and I can't wait until I can start watching the next season. This season consists of 22 episodes, and there's hardly any room to take a break (except for one episode that's essentially a recap episode, which annoyed me).
There's a trend in the show that practically every episode must end with a cliffhanger of some kind. This then takes up to 10 minutes to resolve in the next episode, and while it feels like a cheap trick to make you keep watching, it completely works. It also means that the season looks like one long continuous story, instead of being episodic, like a lot of TV shows.
There's a lot of Abrams-isms in the show, although he wasn't completely involved with all of the season. There's enough answers, but there is plenty of mystery to keep you intrigued throughout everything. Abrams fans will know that he loves mystery boxes, and there's certainly one in here. I mean, there's a two part episode that's simply called "The Box".
Based on this season alone, this show is definitely worth the look.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Seasons 1, 2 & 4 were brill, seasons 3 and 5 were too bad to even mention. I did enjoy this show and watched it till the very end. Even if I was disapointed as hell. Brill review. Kirsty x
thereddragon 07.06.2009 12:21
Never did get around to seeing this, will have to try to check it out one day. Good review.
Created by JJ Abrams,Aliasplays like a cross betweenBuffy the Vampire Slayerand James ... more
Bond. Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) is a super (and super-sexy) spy, fighting nefarious villains and working for the good guys--or so she thinks. Recruited as a co...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Golden Globe Award-winning actress Jennifer Garner (Best Actress In A Television Series, ... more
2002) is Sydney Bristow. Syd's not exactly your average college student. Her life might appear normal, but she really is hiding a secret life working as a spy for ...
Created by JJ Abrams,Aliasplays like a cross betweenBuffy the Vampire Slayerand James ... more
Bond. Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) is a super (and super-sexy) spy, fighting nefarious villains and working for the good guys--or so she thinks. Recruited as a co...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Jennifer Garner stars as a super fit hyper-intelligent CIA operative who takes on ... more
missions all over the world in a bid to thwart terrorism... Episodes Comprise: 1. Truth Be Told 2. So It Begins... 3. Parity 4. A Broken Heart 5. Doppelganger 6....
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Alias: Complete Season 1 [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78513948.jpg "Alias: Complete Season 1 [DVD] [2001]")
Jun 7th, 2009
very helpful by (100%):
